Can I add a thought?
This is the clash between the team with the best home record this season in real terms (the rags) and the team with the best away record this season ( US . . on the basis that the arses away record is screwed by playing us with 10 men).
RM's a successful professional manager and the tactics we utilise will be derived from risk analysis (probably something based on Crystal Ball Analysis or CBA). For those of you who aren't familiar with that tool - it's a computer programme platform into which you enter data sets that affect a particular outcome or part of. Each data set considers the likelihood of a particular outcome in particular circumstances. Thousands of data sets are entered and the result is a bell curve that demonstrates the mode of play that will bring the highest likelihood of the optimum result.
Thje key issue is what is the optimum result? If it's a do or die situation (knock out competition for example) then the optimum result is always a straight win (unless the bell curve demonstrates that a draw and home replay is the ideal route). In a PL game a defensive formation, with the chance to perhaps sneak a goal and win, may be the best formation statistically [say a 48% chance of 1 point, 7% chance of 3 point and 45% chance of being stuffed] versus an attacking formation [resulting in 30% chance of 3 points, 5% chance of 1 point and 65% chance of being stuffed).
Seems pretty formulaic and bland huh? Well, that's only the start because the whole construct relies on a knowledge of how the opposition will play - that's where bluff and double bluff comes in. . . .
That's where we rely on RM to do what he does well and what we can only guess at. . . I can imagine the kind of pressure he'll be under and I'll be happy with whatever he does. . very very happy with a win though!
